One late summer afternoon in the rose garden, the stillness was broken by an old, many-petalled rose bloom finally shattering in the heat.
As I watched the petals slowly drop away in turn, I marvelled that sound they made, brushing against the leaves as they fell, was just like a final, relaxed sigh.
I did not know the word at the time, but years later, when I first heard the word and asked the meaning, I felt a flash of recognition. This had been a susurrus. I hope I will always be able to summon up the memory of this moment – it’s one of the most beautiful sounds I’ve ever heard.
Susurrus means a sound so quiet it is almost imperceptible, from the Latin word for whisper. I’m using it as my online name to remember that, whether we have a large following or no following at all, each of our posts is just a whisper in the enormous, bustling online community that surrounds us.
If you’ve found your way here, thanks for taking the time to share this moment with me.
Wow, it’s great to have such a wonderful word which syncs up so well with your name that you are able to use for a username! The only thing I’ve been able to muster so far is the questionable anagram “bulkhead ax riot.”
Very funny, but I’d stick with Karl!
Beautiful.
What a wonderful word to discover and learn today.
Susie
Lovely, so glad I visited!
Thanks, Cynthia.
And I thought it was short for Susan Rushton.
That is a bonus – lagniappe as my sweetheart says.